Stretcher having backrest and safety harness

ABSTRACT

The invention is with respect to a stretcher for ambulances. The stretcher has a backup or retainer cushion for keeping a patient in position when acted upon by jerks or by sudden motion in the length-direction of the ambulance. The backup cushion is united with a safety belt, which is so placed on the patient that the patient is kept in position in relation to the stretcher when suddenly jerked in the length-direction. In the case of one form of the invention, the backup cushion is elastically supported so that the body of the patient is not suddenly slowed down. As part of a useful further development of the invention, the backup cushion is joined with a fixing belt, which, for its part, is drivingly joined up with the lock or ratchet of an automatic belt take-up roller or pulley. This roller itself has a safety belt which, on loading the stretcher onto a stretcher support of the ambulance, is joined up with the floor of the vehicle, more specially automatically. The design is such that, when the fixing belt is acted upon by a sudden pulling force on decelerating at more than a certain rate, the automatic belt roller is locked by way of the lock. Because of this, the patient and the stretcher are safely kept in position. The design may furthermore be used in connection with stretchers designed as day-beds.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is with respect to a stretcher with an adjustablebelt designed for use as a safety belt for a patient using thestretcher.

On transporting persons on stretchers in an ambulance, there is achance, from time to time, of the ambulance being voilently slowed down,as for example on smashing up against something in its way in a roadaccident. For stopping injuries to the patient in such a case, there hasbeen a suggestion (see German Pat. No. 2,543,473) to have a belt slopingover one shoulder of the patient and fixed to the head end of thestretcher so that the patient's shoulder is kept at least 20 cm from thehead end. This distance of 20 cm is in fact a lower limit for thedistance between the patient's shoulder and the head end. On anambulance (transporting a stretcher on which a patient is safety beltedby using such a sloping shoulder belt) crashing up against something inits way, the patient will firstly be forced forwards through thisdistance of about 20 cm before being stopped by the safety belt; it maythen be that his or her head will be even pushed over and past the headend of the stretcher so that it will no longer be supported.

For getting round such shortcomings, I have, in the past, designed asystem in which the safety belt was to be fixed at shoulder level, this,however, limiting the width of the stretcher for supporting the patient;furthermore it seemed likely that, if the stretcher was, in effect, madenarrower for the patient, there would be a greater chance of patientinjury. It would furthermore have been possible for the safety belt tohave been trained round under the stretcher, that is to say not at itshead end, for which purpose, however, the safety belt would have to havebeen threaded through holes in the cover sheet on the stretcher and thesupport thereunder. Because, however, the support is to be able to betaken off again, it would seem to be a waste of time and unnecessarilycomplex for the safety belt to have to be threaded through the coversheet and into the support every time the stretcher is used.Furthermore, the support and the cover of the stretcher would have tohave special holes for this.

GENERAL OUTLINE OF THE INVENTION

For this reason, the purpose of the invention is that of designing astretcher of the sort noted, in the case of which there is no chance ofinjury to the patient even when there is a sudden, sharp motion of thestretcher in the length direction. For effecting this purpose, thesafety belt is united with a backup cushion on which the patient is sorested that, even on sudden forces acting in the length-direction of thestretcher, the patient is kept in position on the stretcher.

In the case of the invention it is, in fact, possible to say that thesafety belt is united with a backup or stop cushion to make up inertiaforces when the ambulance is violently slowed down or speeded up.

More specially, it is possible for the backup cushion to be designed sothat the shoulders of the patient are supported on it on a backup face,the cushion being inwardly curved for the head and neck of the patient.

As a further useful development of the invention, the stretcher has afurther safety belt, which, like the first-noted safety belt, is runover one shoulder in each case of the patient. The safety belt and thefurther safety belt are, in this case, each fixed at one end on thebackup cushion while the other ends of the two belts are fixed to saidrails of the stretcher at its head end. The other end of the two safetybelts may, in this respect, be fixed on the side rails at the same levelas a fixing belt, running across the stretcher. It is furthermorepossible for the first safety belt and the further safety belt noted tobe joined to the fixing belt itself.

A useful effect may furthermore be produced if at least one belt is usedfor fixing the backup cushion on the stretcher. This belt, and possiblya further belt, will, in this case, be able to be fixed on one side railor bar of the head end of the stretcher.

The safety belt, and the further safety belt, if any, may be joined withthe backup cushion by way of an automatic belt roller. As a last point,a useful effect is produced if the safety belt and the belts used forfixing the backup cushion in position may be adjusted in their length.

For stopping, on the one hand, the patient from being violentlydecelerated in a smash-up or because of the driver's reactions whenthere is a danger of a smash-up, and on the other hand for making itreadily possible for the cover of the mattress on the stretcher to bereadily changed, in a preferred form of the invention the backup or stopcushion is elastically supported so that patient is not violentlydecelerated on very sharp braking of the ambulance taking place or onthe ambulance's plowing into something.

Because, as part of the invention, the backup cushion is elasticallysupported, it is possible for the force of the patient's body caused byinertia, to be taken up smoothly and without injury by the elasticsupport used for the backup cushion; furthermore, the stretcher of thepresent invention makes the work of the ambulanceman much simpler,inasmuch as covering over the mattress on the stretcher with a sheet ora length of paper may be done without first taking off the backupcushion. Lastly, the backup cushion may be fixed on prior art stretcherwithout many changes having to be made on such stretchers or vehiclesfor this purpose.

It may be seen that in fact in the invention the backup cushion is notunited with the safety belt as a single structure and, in fact, thecushion is elastically or springingly supported, for example by aspring. The spring may, for its part, be placed on a plunger systemwhich, to good effect, may be united with the backup cushion.

It is best for the plunger system to be able to be fixed at the head endof the stretcher, it having two plungers running in the length-directionof the stretcher, one plunger casing with the spring sliding on eachplunger. It is possible for the two plunger housings to be joinedrigidly by a plate with each other.

The plunger system or the spring system will be placed under the cushionin the limited sense of the word. In this respect, the plunger systemmay be placed on the lower side of a wood board having reinforcing barsand having on its top side a cast hard foam molding which, in its partanswering to the patient's head, is covered with soft foam. The hardfoam molding, together with the soft foam, is covered over withleathercloth which is fixed to the lower edge of the board.

The backup cushion has a cushioning wall for stopping any slipping ofthe body of a patient over the backup cushion, this being because, inview of the fact that the backup cushion may be moved along the lengthof the plungers, no safety belts may be used.

The design may be made even safer with respect to stopping injuries to apatient transported on such a stretcher by having the backup cushionfixed to a keeper belt, a safety belt with an automatic roller for belttake-up and a coupling part, a second coupling part on the floor of thevehicle, with which the coupling part of the safety belt becomes coupledon putting the stretcher onto a stretcher support, the keeper belt beingso joined with the automatic roller for taking up the belt that theautomatic roller will be locked when pulled upon by the keeper belt.

This design gives the useful effect, more specially that on decelerationat greater than a given value, or if the stretcher comes off the systemsupporting it, the patient will still go on being kept in position bythe stretcher even on the floor of the vehicle. A further useful effectis that the safety belt is joined up, for the time being, by way of acoupling with the floor of the vehicle when the stretcher is being putinto the vehicle. The keeper belt, joined with the automatic roller andwith the backup cushion, will have the effect of locking the automaticbelt take-up roller when the backup cushion is violently moved so thatthe safety belt, joined with the floor of the vehicle, will be lockedand the patient, together with the stretcher, will be kept in positionon the ambulance floor without slipping. A special, useful effect of thesystem in this form is that, in the case of systems, in which thestretchers are pulled forward or are put on the ambulance with the headof the patient lower down than the rest of his body, the automatictake-up roller makes possible such normal motion and it is only onviolent changes in speed, for example when braking sharply or in asmash-up, that the automatic roller is automatically locked.

With respect to details of this design of the invention, it is possiblefor the automatic belt take-up roller to be placed on a cross-bar of thestretcher near the foot end. This makes certain that, on putting thestretcher on the ambulance, it is quite simple to take a look to seethat the safety belt is in fact joined with the floor of the vehicle.

In a more specially preferred example of the invention the keeper beltis trained round under the stretcher.

It is furthermore useful, as a detail of design, for the keeper belt tobe designed branching out sideways at the head end of the stretcher andto have connections on the two sides of the backup cushion. This makescertain that the backup cushion is very strongly kept in position.

The connections are best made so that they may be undone for the purposeof putting on and taking off covers (such as a mattress cover) simply.

As part of a more specially preferred working example of the invention,the coupling part of the safety belt may take the form of a keeper loopwhile the coupling part on the floor of the vehicle is in the form of ahook or the like, into which the keeper loop may be automatically fixed.

In this respect, a specially useful effect is produced if the rolled-uplength of the safety belt is so limited that in the rolled-up condition,the keeper loop is at a small distance along the floor of the vehicle.With this special form of the invention, very simple self-locking of thesafety belt in position is made certain of.

One working example of the invention may be so designed that the keeperbelt is joined up with the lock of the automatic take-up roller itself.

An other possible way of doing this, giving a useful effect, is one inwhich the keeper belt is forked at the foot end of the stretcher upwardsand downwards, one branch of the fork being joined with the lock and theother being designed for taking up the pulling forces. A form of theinvention which is more specially to be preferred to this is one inwhich the keeper belt is forked with branches stretching upwards anddownwards, at the foot end of the stretcher, in such a way that the twobranches of the fork are fixedly joined with the housing of theautomatic take-up roller, one of the braches being so placed that achange in angle between the branches puts the lock of the automatic belttake-up roller into operation.

The useful effects of the present invention may furthermore be producedon using the designs of the invention in the case of stretchersfurthermore as seats.

LIST OF FIGURES

Further useful details of the invention will be seen from the claims.

A detailed account will now be given of some working examples of theinvention using the figures.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a stretcher of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view of the backup cushion of the stretcher of FIG. 1 tomake clear further details.

FIG. 3 is a view of a stretcher on which the backup cushion may befixed.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are views of the backup cushion with its springs in thestretched-out and forced-together conditions.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the backup cushion with a cushioning wall.

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic perspective view of details of design of afurther working example of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic view to make clear the teaching of FIG. 7, inthe resting condition.

FIG. 9 is a view on the same lines as in FIG. 8 when the ambulance isbraked or on crashing into something.

DETAILED ACCOUNT OF WORKING EXAMPLES OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a view of one working example of a stretcher 1 as may be usedmore specially in ambulances. Stretcher 1 is made up of a support frame2 between which there is a free, generally flat, support 3 for a patient(not figured). Generally flat support 3 will in this case be in the formof a piece of cloth which is fixed to the support frame. The supportframe 2 itself is made up of side rails or bars 4 and 5 in the form ofround pipes or tubes, although other cross-sections than round would bepossible. At the head end 6 and at the foot end 7 of the stretcher 1,handles will be seen which may be pulled out of side rails 4 and 5somewhat and which, at their ends, have heads 8a, limiting the degree towhich the handles may be pushed into the side rails 4 and 5. The movinghandles furthermore have stops (not figured) so that they may not befully pulled out of the side rails 4 and 5. Side rails 4 and 5furthermore have support plates 9 at the head end 6 and the foot end 7of the stretcher 1, such support plates 9 being fixed on by screws orrivets 9a or by welding. At the lower end of support plates 9 there arewheels 30, which, in the present case, are fixed on axles 31 stretchingbetween the two support plates 9 in each case at the head end 6 and thefoot end 7 and fixed in the same.

The stretcher 1 of FIG. 1 furthermore has an upwardly folding bracket 26made up of two side bars 14, which are joined at their ends with acrosspiece 27, and of which only one is to be seen. Part of the support3 is placed between side bars 15. The lower ends of the side bars 15 areturningly joined to the side rails 4 and 5 by way of connections 28.Between the side rails 4 and 5 there will be seen a U-like crosspiece 20forming a foot support for a patient resting on the stretcher 1, and afixing or patient belt 24 used for keeping the patient's legs inposition. Furthermore, between the side bars 15 there is a patient belt23 for strapping round the top part of the patient's body.

In the case of this working example of the invention, two safety belts10 and 13, running from fixing connections (more specially in the formof quick-release connections) 40, 43 are trained over separate shouldersof the patient and then downwards towards the lower side of a backupcushion 11. On the backup cushion 11 the safety belts 10 and 13 arefixed by an automatic belt take-up roller 18 (see FIG. 2). Backup orretainer cushion 11 has a hollow 12 for the head and neck of thepatient, the shoulders of such a patient on stretcher 1 will be restingon the backup or retaining face 19 (see FIG. 2) of backup cushion 11,the safety belts 10 and 13 being trained, in each case, over oneshoulder of the patient. The fixing belt 23 is furthermore trained roundthe patient's chest. The connections 40, 43 may, in this case, be joinedto the fixing belt 23. Furthermore, belts 16, 17 will be seen which,like belts 10 and 13, may be changed in length using buckles 44, 45.Belts 16 and 17 are fixed to a base 46 of backup cushion 11, theautomatic belt take-up roller 18 being fixed to base 46 as well. Thisbase 46 is, unlike the backup cushion 11, stiff in structure.Furthermore, belts 16 and 17 may be fixed to the side bars 15 of thebackrest 26, which may be changed in height using a mechanical system47.

If the stretcher 1 is violently slowed down in the direction of arrow I,the backup face 19 of the backup cushion 11 will take up the forceproduced by the patient's body caused by inertia, by way of safety belts10 and 13, so that the patient will be kept in place on and in relationto the stretcher 1. For this reason, injury to the patient by violentmotion of the stretcher 1 may be generally stopped.

The stretcher 101, to be seen in FIG. 3 is made up of a support frame102 between which there is a free, generally flat, support for a patient(not figured). Generally flat support 103 will generally be in the formof a piece of cloth which is fixed to the support frame 102. The supportframe 102 itself is made up of side rails or bars 104 and 105 in theform of round pipes of tubes, although other cross-sections than roundwould be possible. At the head end 106 and at the foot end 107 of thestretcher 101, handles will be seen which may be pulled out of siderails 104 and 105 somewhat and which, at their ends, have heads 108a,limiting the degree of which the handles may be pushed into the siderails 104 and 105. The moving handles furthermore have stops (notfigured) so that the said handles may not be fully pulled out of theside rails 104 and 105. Side rails 104 and 105 furthermore have supportplates 109 at the head end 106 and the foot end 107 of the stretcher101, such support plates 109 being fixed on by screws or rivets 109a orby welding. At the lower end of support plates 109 there are wheels 130,which, in the present case, are fixed on axles 131 stretching betweenthe two support plates 109 in each case at the head end 106 and the footend 107, fixed in the same.

The stretcher of FIG. 3 furthermore has an upwardly folding bracket 126which, at its top end has eyes 140 into which ends of tubes 143, 144,may be slipped. Backrest 126 is turningly supported in connections 128which, for their part, are fixed on side rails 104 and 105. Between theside rails 104 and 105 there is placed furthermore a crosspiece 120forming a foot support for a patient using the stretcher 101.Furthermore, stretching between side rails 104 and 105, there is afixing belt 124 used for keeping the legs of the patient in position. Afurther fixing belt 123 will be seen fixed to the backrest 126 forsupporting and positioning the chest of the patient. The backrest 126itself may be changed in height using a mechanical system 147.

FIG. 4 is a view of the backup cushion for the stretcher of FIG. 3, thecushion having two plunger rods 141 and 142 whose downwardly bent ends143, 144 may be pushed into the openings of eyes 140. On each plungerrod 141, 142, there is a spring 145 and, in the other case, therefurthermore being plunger casings 147, 148 sliding on plunger rods 141and 142 to the back of springs 145, 146. The plunger casings 147, 148are joined together by a plate 149. The diameter of the plunger housingsor casings 147 and 148 is such that the spring 145 or 146 may be forcedtogether within the plunger casings, as will be seen from FIG. 5.Plunger rods 141, 142, springs 145 and 146 and plunger casings 147 and148 may be seen from this to take the form of shock absorbers in thesense that violent forces are taken up by the springs, the springs beingseen in the force-free condition in FIG. 4 and in the forced-togethercondition in FIG. 5.

Backup cushion 111 has a hollow 112, lined with soft foam, in a hardfoam molding 150 which is marked in broken lines in FIGS. 4 and 5,hollow 112 being designed for taking up the head and neck of thepatient, whose shoulders, as he is supported on the stretcher 101, wouldbe supported on a "hard" backup face 119 of backup cushion 111, belt 123being trained round the chest or top of the body of the patient.

The molding 150 is fixed on a board (not figured), whose lower side,possibly reinforced, is joined up with parts 141 and 142. Furthermore,molding 150 is covered with leathercloth fixed to the lower side of theboard. The board may be made of wood or synthetic resin.

FIG. 6 is a further side view of the backup or retainer cushion with acushioning wall 151 filled with cushion stuffing, wall 151 being forstopping the body of a patient slipping up over the backup cushion 111,this being necessary because, in this case, no special safety belts areused for the backup cushion 111, such cushion in fact being able to bemoved along the distance for which the plunger rods 141, 142 aredesigned for.

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic, perspective view of a stretcher of theinvention to make clear the frame only of the stretcher 201 without theboard-like structures for supporting the patient. In the case of thisform of the invention of FIG. 7, there is an automatic belt take-uproller 203 on a back crosspiece 202 near the foot end of stretcher 201.Roller 203 is for taking up a safety belts 207 and may be turned about ashaft 215. Automatic take-up roller 203 is joined up with the backupcushion 204 by way of a keeper belt 205, which is forked horizontally,the fork opening towards a front part, that is to say the head end ofstretcher 201, the two branches of the fork of the fixing belt 205joining at the sides by way of connections 206 with the backup orretainer cushion.

The connections 206 are best made so that they may be taken off so thatthe cushion 204 or the cushion cover may be readily changed

As the reader will see, fixing belt 205 is placed running under thepatient support (not figured) of the stretcher 201.

Safety belt 208 has a connection part 208 or keeper loop, which, in thepresent working examples takes the form of a connection loop for usewith an other coupling part on the floor 211 of the ambulance, in theform of a hooked nose-piece 209.

As will be seen, automatic belt take-up roller 203 is so placed that,with part of the safety belt 207 rolled up and the other part pulledtight, the keeper loop 208 is spaced only a small distance from theambulance floor 211. On pushing the stretcher 201 onto stretcher supportrails (not figured) in the ambulance, the keeper loop 208 is, for thisreason, automatically hooked onto nosepiece 209.

As will furthermore be seen, fixing belt 205 is vertically forked nearthe automatic belt take-up roller or pulley and so joined with thehousing of the same that on pulling tight fixing belt 205, the lock orratchet 210 of the take-up roller is worked.

This function is to be seen in FIGS. 8 and 9, FIG. 9 making clear whattakes place when the ambulance is braked, see arrow 216.

In the working example to be seen in the figures, the branches 212 and213 of the vertical fork of the fixing belt 205 are fixedly joined tothe housing 214 of the automatic belt take-up roller 213, the designbeing such (see FIG. 9) that, on motion of stretcher 201 in thedirection of arrow 216, the change in angle caused by this betweenbranches 212 and 213 is responsible for working the lock 210 on theautomatic belt take-up roller 203. Because on braking the ambulance atover a certain g-value, the fixing belt 205 is pulled forward by thestretcher 201 in the direction of arrow 216, the lock 210 or ratchet isturned upwards by the lower branch 213 and the safety belt locked.

In the case of further possible forms of the invention, the fixing belt205 may be joined directly with the lock 210 or one of the branches 212or 213 may be joined with the lock 210.

In the case of a further, somewhat changed form of the invention (not tobe seen in the figures) the cushion 204 is designed so that not only onebut its two sides may be used, in which respect, one side of cushion 204has a hollow for the head while the opposite side is smoothly cushioned,that is to say without hollows.

As a further change in the forms of the invention to be seen in thefigures and of which an account has been given, a useful effect isproduced on using the design of a backup cushion as noted in the case ofstretchers designed as seats or day-beds.

I claim:
 1. A stretcher having an adjustable belt for use as a safetybelt for keeping a patient in position comprising:a back cushion, saidsafety belt attached to said backup cushion for a patient's body andmeans mounting said backup cushion to said stretcher such that a patientresting against it is kept in a position relative to said stretcher,even when subjected to a sudden motion in the lengthwise direction,toward the head of the patient said backup cushion comprising a backupface means, engageable with the top portion of the shoulders of apatient, for restraining movement of said shoulders past said cushion,and a hollow portion to accomodate the head and neck of a patient.
 2. Astretcher as claimed in claim 1, including a second safety belt, alsoadjustable and united with said backup cushion.
 3. A stretcher asclaimed in claim 2, wherein said safety belt and said second safety beltare each adapted to be trained over a different shoulder of the patient.4. A stretcher as claimed in claim 1, including at least one attachingbelt for attaching said backup cushion to said stretcher.
 5. A stretcheras claimed in claim 4, wherein said attaching belt is fixed to one ofsaid siderails.
 6. A stretcher as claimed in claim 4, wherein saidattaching belt is adjustable in length.
 7. A stetcher having anadjustable belt for use as a safety belt for keeping a patient inposition, comprising:a backup cushion united with said safety belt for apatient's body and disposed on said stretcher such that a patientresting against it is kept in a position relative to said stretcher,even when subjected to a sudden motion in the lengthwise directiontoward the head of the patient, said backup cushion comprising a backupface means, engageable with the top portion of the shoulders of apatient, for restraining movement of said shoulders past said cushion,and a hollow portion to accommodate the head and neck of a patient; asecond safety belt, also adjustable and united with said backup cushion,said safety belt and said second safety belt are each adapted to betrained over a different shoulder of the patient; and a backrestdisposed on said stretcher and adapted to be inclined to raise the torsoand head of the patient, siderails extending longitudinally along eachside of said backrest and each of said safety belts having one end fixedto said backup cushion and having opposite ends thereof each attached toone of said siderails.
 8. A stretcher as claimed in claim 7, including afixing belt disposed laterally across said backrest and fixed to saidsiderails such that said opposite ends of said safety belts are fixed tosaid siderails at the same level as said fixing belt.
 9. A stretcher asclaimed in claim 8, wherein said safety belts are fixed directly to saidfixing belt.
 10. A stretcher having an adjustable belt for use as asafety belt for keeping a patient in position, comprising:a backupcushion united with said safety belt for a patient's body and disposedon said stretcher such that a patient resting against it is kept in aposition relative to said stretcher, even when subjected to a suddenmotion in the lengthwise direction toward the head of the patient, saidbackup cushion comprising a backup face means, engageable with the topportion of the shoulders of a patient, for restraining movement of saidshoulders past said cushion, and a hollow portion to accommodate thehead and neck of a patient; and wherein said safety belt and a secondsafety belt are joined by way of an automatic belt take-up roller to thebackup cushion.
 11. A stretcher having an adjustable belt for use as asafety belt for keeping a patient in position, comprising:a backupcushion united with said safety belt for a patient's body and disposedon said stretcher such that a patient resting against it is kept in aposition relative to said stretcher, even when subjected to a suddenmotion in the lengthwise direction toward the head of the patient, saidbackup cushion comprising a backup face means, engageable with the topportion of the shoulders of a patient, for restraining movement of saidshoulders past said cushion, and a hollow portion to accommodate thehead and neck of a patient; and wherein the backup cushion iselastically supported on the stretcher, so that the body of the patientis gradually accelerated or decelerated upon sudden movements of thestretcher, such as a sudden stop or start of an ambulance.
 12. Astretcher as claimed in claim 11, wherein said backup cushion iselastically supported by at least one spring.
 13. A stretcher as claimedin claim 12, including a plunger assembly which contains said onespring.
 14. A stretcher as claimed in claim 13, wherein said plungerassembly is integral with said backup cushion.
 15. A stretcher asclaimed in claim 14, wherein said plunger assembly is adapted to befixed to the end of the stretcher which receives the head of thepatient.
 16. A stretcher having an adjustable belt for use as a safetybelt for keeping a patient in position, comprising:a backup cushionunited with said safety belt for a patient's body and disposed on saidstretcher such that a patient resting against it is kept in a positionrelative to said stretcher, even when subjected to a sudden motion inthe lengthwise direction, toward the head of the patient, said backupcushion comprising a backup face means, engageable with the shoulders ofa patient, for restraining movement of said shoulders past said cushion,and a hollow portion to accommodate the head and neck of a patient, andwherein said backup cushion is elastically supported on the stretcher,so that the body of the patient is gradually accelerated or deceleratedupon sudden movements of the stretcher, such as the surge of anambulance, said cushion also including a plunger assembly fixed to theend of the stretcher which receives the patient's head, and integralwith said backup cushion, said plunger assembly comprising: a pluralityof plunger rods extending longitudinally with respect to the stretcherand attached therto; a plurality of plunger casings attached to saidbackup cushion and adapted to be fit around each plunger rodrespectively and to slide thereon; and a plurality of springs, oneassociated with each of said plunger rods and casings, and disposed toabsorb the shock created by relative movement between said plunger rodsand said plunger casings.
 17. A stretcher as claimed in claim 16,wherein said plunger casings are rigidly joined together.
 18. Astretcher as claimed in claim 17, wherein said plunger casings arejoined together by a plate.
 19. A stretcher as claimed in claim 16,wherein said backup cushion has a rigid plate as support, on which ahard foam molding is placed, said plate being attached to said plungerassembly.
 20. A stretcher as claimed in claim 19, wherein said hard foammolding is covered with soft foam to cradle the patent's head and neck.21. A stretcher as claimed in claim 20, wherein said hard foam moldingand said soft foam are covered with leather.
 22. A stretcher as claimedin claim 16, including:a longitudinal belt attached to said backupcushion and extending generally the length of the stretcher; anautomatic take-up roller housing containing an automatic take-up roller,said housing being attached to said longitudinal belt; a coupling beltoperatively connected to said automatic take-up roller; a couplingdevice attached to said coupling belt and which is adapted forengagement with compatible hook-like structure found on the floor of anambulance, such that as said coupling device becomes engaged with thehook-like structure on the floor of an ambulance the tension exerted onthe longitudinal belt by the movement of the stretcher away from saidautomatic take-up roller causes said automatic take-up roller to becomelocked, thereby locking said coupling belt at a fixed length.
 23. Astretcher as claimed in claim 22, wherein said automatic take-up rollerhousing is fixed to a crosspiece disposed laterally on said stretcher,near the end of the stretcher adapted for receiving the patient's feet.24. A stretcher as claimed in claim 22, wherein said longitudinal beltis divided into two sections near said backup cushion and is attachedthereto on each side thereof.
 25. A stretcher as claimed in claim 24,wherein said longitudinal belt may be detached from said backup cushion.26. A stretcher as claimed in claim 25, wherein said backup cushion hasa top and a bottom side and is adapted to be used on either side.
 27. Astretcher as claimed in claim 26, wherein the top side of said cushioncontains said hollow portion and the bottom side is smoothly cushioned.28. A stretcher as claimed in claim 22, wherein said longitudinal beltis disposed underneath the portion of the stretcher used to directlysupport the patient.
 29. A stretcher as claimed in claim 28, whereinsaid coupling device comprises a keeper loop which is adapted toautomatically hook said compatible hook-like structure on the floor ofan ambulance.
 30. A stretcher as claimed in claim 28, wherein the lengthof the coupling belt rolled is limited such that in the rolled upcondition said keeper loop is spaced just above the floor.
 31. Astretcher as claimed in claim 28, wherein said longitudinal belt isattached to said automatic take-up roller housing such that it is inoperative connection with a lock or a ratchet of said take-up roller.32. A stretcher as claimed in claim 31, wherein said longitudinal beltis vertically hooked near said automatic take-up roller housing andattached thereto, such that one branch is operatively corrected to saidlock and the other branch takes up the tension forces.
 33. A stretcheras claimed in claim 32, wherein the branches of the fork of saidlongitudinal belt are attached to said automatic take-up roller housingsuch that as the angle of the branches with respect to said housingchange, said lock of the automatic take-up roller becomes engaged.
 34. Astretcher as claimed in either claim 11 or 16, wherein said backupcushion has a ridge adjacent said backup face means and extendingupwardly therefrom to keep the patient's shoulders from riding up oversaid backup cushion.